Toronto Argonauts emabrace underdog mentality to win the Grey Cup
The Toronto Argonauts embraced their underdog heading into the 105th Grey Cup against the Calgary Stampeders allowing them to pull off the upset.
There is a common saying that in the CFL, no lead is safe and the Calgary Stampders found that out the hard way after the Toronto Argonauts came back from a 17-8 deficit to win 27-24.
It was a game where the Argos just wanted to give themselves a chance in the fourth quarter and they were able to keep Calgary from mounting a big lead despite having a tough time maintaining drives in the first half.
Adjustments and costly mistakes from the Stampeders in the second half were the biggest contributors to the Argos comeback in a game that was a testament to the type of season that the team had.
“We have a locker room full of guys who can beat adversity,” Posey said to the media after the game. “We fought adversity all year.”
This was a team that started with more question marks than any other team in recent memory but ultimately, made the right decision to bring in Jim Popp and Marc Trestman to right the ship and change the course of a franchise that was in need of a restart.
Calgary may have controlled the ball throughout the game but crucial mistakes throughout the game were too much to overcome. The Argos kept Roy Finch in check on special teams and he almost had a fumble late in the game that could have been more costly that the one Karmar Jorden had.
It seemed like Calgary was fighting themselves at times in this game and in the end two crucial turnovers brought back the nightmares of 2016, this one certainly more devastating than last season.
This was not a matter of underestimating the Argos but this Argos team tuned out the idea of being the underdogs. It has been the mentality of this team since the start of training camp and starting with their quarterback Ricky Ray.
No one knew whether the 38-year-old would come back and be able to stay on the field all season, he went on to have one of his best seasons in recent memory. While he will take time to savour a record setting championship title, there will be many questions about his future next season.
DeVier Posey, the MVP of the Grey Cup was brought in late last season after being released by the Denver Broncos. TSN did a feature on his struggles growing up battling issues with his immune system and a torn achilles in the NFL with the Houston Texans. He finished the biggest game of his professional career with 175 yards including a record setting 100-yard touchdown reception.
While James Wilder Jr. did not have the impact that many were expecting, he made a big play on the goal line to stretch in the endzone to cap off a long drive for the Argos. Last season the 24-year-old was released by the Buffalo Bills and was looking for a place to get his game back on track and the Argos gave him that chance.
Cassius Vaughn, the one who made the biggest play of the game running back the Jorden fumble 109-yards did not start with the team at training camp getting picked up a day after the Hamilton Tiger Cats cut him. He joined Marcus Ball and Bear Woods as late pickups the paid major dividends in the end.
The best example had to be Matt Black who was cut earlier in the season by the Argos only to be brought back because of injuries and he sealed the game with a crucial interception.
It is incredible to think that many of these players did not have jobs to start the season, as Sean Fitz-Gerald wrote in the Athletic, this was a team of forgotten toys. In the end the work that Popp and Trestman did to put this all together with less time than every other team in the league.
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Now the team will look to carry that momentum into next season and hopefully this is a sign of more things to come for this Argos team. Maybe more people in Toronto will embrace the turnaround that this team has made pulling off a second straight upset in the Grey Cup against the team with the best record in the league.